Presenter: Tom McGowan

The fire service and emergency responders are well-invested in the infrastructure of professional qualifications (Pro-Qual). The key components of this infrastructure are the various codes and standards that form the basis for training and the professional competency and qualifications for local, state, provincial, and federal public safety personnel. The NFPA Pro-Qual Project is continually evolving with a positive anticipation of harmonization, synchronization, and coordination challenges, which can only lead to a higher quality product. The commitment by Public Fire Protection is to “Change and Challenge” all stakeholders of the NFPA Pro-Qual Project. Through administration, implementation, and documentation, the goal of this interactive presentation is to establish a common understanding of how the individual elements of the Pro-Qual Project relates and interact to provide the best value to all of the Pro-Qual stakeholders. The changes and challenges are unique. Primarily used for accreditation and certification, the Pro-Qual Project documents are relatively well-evolved. Material garnered from the Pro-Qual project includes emergency responder safety, training, and education. NFPA technical committees are involved with different aspects of professional qualifications, and the focus and interest continue to be coordinated. Baseline requirements included in these standards provide a foundation for emergency responder professional qualifications.